If you are a longtime reader of Think.Make.Share, you know that Hallmark designer Em B. excels in the area of DIY and crafts. Some of her fantastic contributions include summer piñatas and the most creative stocking ideas you ever did see. Today, she’s sharing a behind-the-scenes look into Bloom Bar, an offering that allows you to fashion customizable bouquets to celebrate the special women in your life on Mother’s Day. Be sure to pick up your very own Bloom Bar bouquet at your local CVS or Walgreen’s.
How long have you been at Hallmark? On what kind of product/teams:
I’ve spent the last decade getting to create a variety of products for Hallmark. I started, as one would expect, in Greeting Cards. I found a lot of joy working in our Multicultural lines and featured collections. I’ve also been lucky to work on everything you don’t always think of us for, from Home décor to gifts and baby apparel – you name it!
Tell us a little bit about these adorable bouquets:
The program is called ‘Bloom Bar’ and the idea behind it is customizing your own bouquets at Mother’s Day to celebrate the women you love. In the stores you’ll find a variety of flowers and also little vases, so you really have the opportunity to customize the look of your bouquets.
What was the inspiration for the project?
When you’re working on a project such as Mother’s Day, it’s natural to think about what you’d really like to give your own Mom. My mom is my best friend; unfortunately she also lives 700 miles away, so I like to curate a selection of gifts that can be shipped. These fun, felt and wood flowers are perfect for that! I also have a few special, local, ‘adopted aunts’ I can give real flowers to, and I plan to mix these in with them. When the others wilt away, they will still have something to keep.
Where did the idea come from?
That’s a tough one because I don’t think it was just a clear-cut “Hey! Let’s do this!” What I can tell you is that I don’t have a green thumb, but I do have a craft thumb. Paper and felt flowers are all around my home. They do really well when I’m out of town, and don’t require much water 🙂 I really wanted to give people something special that they haven’t seen everywhere, something with a handmade feel but you don’t have to do all the work. These are fun because you can make them your own, add real flowers to them, mail them, or use them however you want.
How did you get it from an idea to the shelf?
It’s always great when you get to work with a bunch of fun people who build on each other’s strengths. Our team members come from a variety of backgrounds so we all see things from a different angle. You put a few creatives, a few business peeps, and some wordsmiths in a room and you can get pure magic. Every collection that gets to shelf usually has a unique path in the way the idea came about, evolved, and made it out into the big, wide world.
We originally had an assortment of different types of gifts for mom, and as this collection evolved, excitement built and other things fell to the side as the Bloom Bar idea kept growing into what it ultimately became. As for the actual creation of the flowers, sometimes you sketch, sometimes you draw up concepts digitally, and sometimes you break out your golden craft scissors and order some bright felt colors and start to play. This project was really FUN! I created all kinds of felt flowers and leaves and laser-cut out different stems and picks to go with them. As for the end result, there is nothing more gratifying than to see your little flower babies out there in the world for everyone to enjoy.
Do you have a favorite stem out of the collection?
Yes! I love the multi-colored hydrangea! You can’t find those bad boys in nature! It’s fun because it goes so well with all the others and it’s also pretty on its own.
Where can we find them?
Walgreens and CVS! The three stores I’ve been to have them on the end of the aisle near the greeting cards. (If you see some crazy girl in a store taking pics of different bouquets and inspecting the stems and being generally nerdy…it’s probably me.)
The ‘Vida’ version (Spanish), where do you find that?
The Vida Bloom Bar is offered in 50 stores in Puerto Rico and 100 stores across the United States.
How do you celebrate that special woman in your life on Mother’s Day? We would love to hear from you on Instagram @Think.Make.Share!